Our state Sen. Mark Miloscia is co-sponsoring a parental notification bill in this year’s legislative session. I have concerns about the bill because it is not comprehensive enough.

A one-size-fits-all parental notification mandate can’t solve delicate family situations or foster good family communications.

A bill that claims to do so is dangerous and misguided. This bill is likely to result in a higher rate of teen pregnancies without accounting for the health risks of teen pregnancies, including lack of prenatal care, higher incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertension, premature births, low-weight infants and incidence of STDs.

This bill will account for a higher rate of postpartum depression amongst teen mothers because they are not emotionally prepared for the responsibilities of parenthood, and will lead to societal isolation of pregnant teens.

Are we, as a cash-strapped state, prepared to deal with the additional financial burden we may incur with a higher incidence of unintended teenage pregnancies?

Karen Hedwig Backman, Federal Way